


sanctuary

by seothsayers



Category: CLC (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, F/M, House Parties, Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26309860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seothsayers/pseuds/seothsayers
Summary: Jeno looks death in the eyes and prepares himself for the end.(Or, an unfortunate encounter with a vampire leads Jeno into the life of Vampire Slayer Yeeun Jang).
Relationships: Jang Yeeun/Lee Jeno
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> this is very loosely inspired by buffy.. like very loosely. i mostly pinched from the lore but that is it. i was feeling something supernatural and started thinking about jeno and yeeun and voila

Jeno doesn’t hear the thud of the footsteps quickening down the street behind him. He has his earphones in, music on shuffle so the eerie silence of the night doesn’t unsettle him. That’s his first mistake.

Jeno is on his way home from work, a late-night shift at _Dreams_ , the newly opened cocktail bar in town. He’s more concerned with the thought of his bed than he is of getting attacked. In retrospect, Jeno supposes its silly of him to have thought he was safe from danger – anyone can be a victim of a mugging or random violence – but Jeno just doesn’t expect it to be him. He’s got a resting bitch face and he’s relatively well built. Who would attack him? His naivety is his is his second mistake.

The main problem is that if Jeno did get attacked, he would expect his attacker to be human. He doesn’t think about the possibility that his stature would make him the prime target for a vampire’s late night snack because he doesn’t believe in vampires until one drags him into a dark alley and presses him up against the brick wall with enough force he cannot break free.

Jeno looks death in the eyes and prepares himself for the end.

Instead, there is a sickening squelch and a raspy gasp. The vampire releases Jeno and both of them drop to the ground. Jeno looks up to see a girl stood over him, wooden stake in one hand, the vampire’s still body between them at her feet. All of Jeno’s perceptions are being challenged tonight – what exactly does a vampire slayer look like? The girl in front of him was wearing a short dress and heels. She’s hot but intimidating as she stares down at him with an unreadable expression.

“Fuck, I’ve broken another nail.” She whines, rubbing at her index finger. She kicks at the vampire’s body with her pointed heel. “I just had these done!”

Jeno can’t help but snort at the absurdity of the situation. The girl tucks the stake under her arm. She tilts her head to one side. “You look strong enough. Do you think you can help me move the body? My car’s around the corner.”

“I…” Jeno blinks. “Sure. Why not.”

“Great! You take the legs.”

Jeno follows her after her. She leads Jeno out of the alley to a small hatchback car. “Hold on.” She says, dropping the body to her feet. Jeno almost loses his grip with the sudden shift in weight. He watches the vampire, half expecting it to wake up, but the gaping hole in its chest was still there and its body was still frozen.

The girl pulls out her car keys and unlocks the vehicle, opening the boot.

“Is he going to fit?” Jeno asks.

“I don’t want him in the backseat, I didn’t bring any tarp and he’ll ruin the upholstery with his crusty vampire goo.” The girl says. “We’ll make him fit.”

It takes a little while but between the two of them, they manage to squeeze the vampire into the boot. She slams the door shut and walks round to the driver’s side of the car. She pauses when she realises Jeno hasn’t moved.

“Are you coming? I’ll give you a lift home when I’m finished.”

Jeno doesn’t want to walk home anymore so he slides into the front passenger seat. The girl starts the engine and turns up the radio. A happy pop song plays, and it seems to at odds with the events of the past thirty minutes. He thinks about commenting on it, but Jeno has reached his limit for small talk for the evening.

The girl drives them just out of the city and pulls up beside an abandoned scrapyard. Jeno helps her carry the body through it until they come to a pile of logs. They drop the body on top of them and Jeno watches as the girl rifles through her bag and pulls out a lighter. She holds the open flame beside some tinder. Once it is lit, she drops it on the body and they both stand and watch until the body is engulfed by the fire. “If you don’t burn the body, they’ll eventually come back to life.” She explains.

She turns and leads Jeno back to the car. “Let’s get you home.” She says, starting the engine. “I bet it has been a long evening for you.”

“That’s an understatement.” Jeno says.

“First vampire encounter?” She asks.

Jeno nods. “Would have been the last too if you hadn’t appeared.”

“I’ve been tracking him across town all evening.” She explains. “I wouldn’t have let him get you.”

“Well, thank you. You saved my life.”

“All in a day’s work.” She smiles warmly at him. “Now, what’s your address?”

They drive back to Jeno’s place in silence. The radio is playing a slow, acoustic song that much better suits the mood than the song from earlier. When they pull up outside of Jeno’s apartment, she turns to him.

“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions and I probably have most of the answers, but I don’t want to overwhelm you more than you already are. Are you free tomorrow?”

Jeno nods. “I have class in the afternoon though. I’m at NCTU.”

“Me too! We could meet about midday, by the fountain in the courtyard on campus?” She suggests. “Oh! I never asked your name. I’m Yeeun.”

“Jeno.”

“It’s nice to meet you Jeno. I’ll see you tomorrow?” When Jeno nods, Yeeun says, “I hope you can get some rest.”

Yeeun doesn’t drive away until he has unlocked the front door and is safely inside which Jeno appreciates. There is a faint light from under Donghyuck’s door and Jeno is tempted to go and bother him for a while. He doesn’t want to be alone but he knows that if he does go to Donghyuck’s room, Donghyuck will attempt to pry what’s bothering him out of Jeno and Jeno isn’t sure he is ready to say he was attacked by a vampire out loud. Would Donghyuck even believe him? Jeno didn’t have any proof and he didn’t want to argue with Donghyuck when he knows what he saw.

He heads straight to his bedroom and strips, climbing straight into bed. Jeno is spent physically and mentally, so it doesn’t take long for him to drop off. That night, he dreams of fire and sharp teeth.

🌕 🌕 🌕

Jeno wakes up at 11am. He’s exhausted, and halfway through his shower when the events of the previous night come flooding back to him and he freezes under the spray as he remembers that yes, vampires are real and he also has somewhere to be in forty-five minutes.

Jeno rushes to get dressed. Renjun is in the kitchen when he passes through. Jeno steals a half-buttered slice of toast from Renjun’s plate.

“Hey!” Renjun exclaims. “Where are you going in a rush? I thought you didn’t have class until later today?”

“Gotta meet up with someone.” Jeno says, shoving his feet into his trainers. “I’ll catch you later tonight!”

“Remember to buy lunch!” Renjun calls just before Jeno slams the door behind him.

Jeno rolls into campus on his skateboard, arriving in the courtyard for exactly midday. He scans his surroundings, hopping off his skateboard when he spots Yeeun sat on the grass by the fountain. She has earphones in and is flicking through a book when he approaches. She looks up when his feet appear in her view and smiles.

“Hi.” Yeeun pulls out her earphones and drops them into her bag. “How are you feeling?”

“Feels like last night was all a dream.” Jeno answers honestly. “I’m still half convinced it was.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Yeeun smiles sadly. “Sorry to say it’s all real. I would know.”

“You… hunt vampires?” Jeno glances around as he speaks. The courtyard is relatively busy, but most people are just passing through and there is no-one sat close enough to overhear their conversation.

“Yup.” Yeeun nods. “I’m a Slayer. There is a lot of history I won’t go into right now but let’s just say it’s my birth right.”

“Huh.” Jeno tears a handful of grass out of the soil. “Do attacks like last night happen often?”

“Often enough.” Yeeun answers. “This is a student heavy town and so there are lots of young, reckless people who are easy targets for vampires. They are also pretty predictable. That guy last night had been lurking around that new cocktail bar, I had a friend there who let me know he was creeping about.”

“That’s where I work.” Jeno says.

“Oh, really?” Yeeun says. “That makes sense. I kept my distance, but I know he knew I was there. He probably waited until he thought I was gone to strike. Unluckily for him, I can stay up waiting all night if I have to.”

“Unlucky for him but lucky for me, huh.” Jeno shreds the grass in his hands. He was trying his hardest to block out the vampire’s face, the vacant but hungry look in his eyes in what Jeno thought were his last moments. His stomach starts to churn, unsettled.

Yeeun seems to sense his mood change and reaches out to pat his thigh hesitantly. “Once you’ve come into contact with a vampire once, they’re a little easier to spot. I hope you don’t ever end up in a situation like last night again, but if you do, I have something that will help you.”

Yeeun roots around in her bag before pulling out a medium sized box and handing it over to him. Jeno opens it to find it full of a number of items: a silver cross on a chain, two vials of clear liquid and a sharp wooden stake.

“That’s holy water.” Yeeun points at the vials. “Always good to have on you in case you get into a pinch and much easier to hide than a wooden stake. The cross is a good substitute too. They won’t kill like the stake will, but they’ll injure and sometimes that’s all you need to get away.”

“This is…” Jeno trails off.

“Too much?” Yeeun bites at her lip.

“I was going to say very organised.” Jeno finishes. “I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve handed out one of these kits.”

Yeeun smiles. “You’re not the only one around here who’s been hunted. I’ve built up a little community of people – they help me where they can by letting me know of anything suspicious and I help them by keeping them stocked up with supplies.” She reaches into the box and pulls out a small card that Jeno hadn’t noticed in the corner of the box. “My details, if you ever need to contact me.”

The card is hot pink, and there’s an illustration of a crossbow next to Yeeun’s name, number and address.

“Thank you.” Jeno slips the card into his jacket pocket and closes the box, putting it into his backpack. “This is really helpful, actually. Last night was… a lot. It makes me feel better knowing there is someone as prepared as you around kicking vampire ass whilst we’re all asleep.”

Yeeun laughs, hand coming up to cover her mouth. There’s a faint pink tinge to her cheeks. “Glad I could be of service. I have to get going, but text me if you ever need me, ok? I mean it.” She gets to her feet, sliding her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you around Jeno.”

Jeno stays in the courtyard for a little while longer. It’s wild how things can change in such a short period of time. Less than a day ago, Jeno had been walking through this very campus and his only worry had been trying to keep up with his module readings. Today was a different story. He’d almost died and learnt that vampires were real. Jeno keeps pulling at the grass until there’s a small mound by his feet. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the card Yeeun had given him. A vampire slayer with a business card. Jeno had truly seen it all now.

He inserts Yeeun’s number into his phone under _Yeeun Jang_ 🧛🗡️. Jeno hopes he never finds himself in another situation where he needs her help, but it was better to be prepared, just in case.

🌕 🌕 🌕

With the university work starting to pile up and working late nights, Jeno free time takes a drastic nosedive. It was the same for everyone – Jaemin was in labs, Renjun busy with his extracurriculars and Donghyuck procrastinating his assignments by playing games until the early hours of the morning as per usual.

It is only a matter of time before one of them cracks and drags the others out with them. This time it’s Jaemin.

The four of them are huddled in someone’s kitchen, a party Donghyuck had managed to get them all invited to at last minute.

“It’s been so long!” Donghyuck shouts over the music.

“I’m going to get so drunk I’m going to throw up.” Jaemin declares.

“Please don’t.” Renjun wrinkles his nose. Jaemin does another shot of some obnoxious blue drink and grins at Renjun in response.

Jeno sips at his beer. He has work the next day so a hangover is a no go. Jeno is the group assigned sensible person for the night: he won’t get too drunk; he’ll keep an eye out for the others and he’ll head home early-ish. It was a system they had established after the Fated First Year Debacle which involved way too much vomit, an angry taxi driver and a near miss with campus security. Jeno was happy to take on the role at big parties like this – they were so crowded and busy anyway that he didn’t really feel comfortable getting absolutely wasted, not the way he had when he was desperately trying to look cool and make friends in first year. Jeno’s wild nights were saved for the more intimate, smaller parties. Sometimes just the four of them, other times with a few more friends. There was nothing better than partying in your own house and being able to head to bed whenever you wanted.

Jeno works his way through the rooms of the house until he finds himself out in the garden. It’s easier to manage the party out here, the fresh air better than the stuffy, sweaty atmosphere indoors and the music more muted. Renjun tags along, not drunk enough yet to start dancing on tables like Donghyuck or flirting with anyone in the nearby vicinity like Jaemin. They pass by a few familiar faces – Mark, Donghyuck’s on-again-off-again boyfriend (currently almost on) stops to chat for a little while and then they bump into Yeji from one of Jeno’s sociology electives and spend a while complaining about exams.

Renjun leaves at one point to get them more drinks, so Jeno parks himself on the patio, picking at label of his beer bottle as he waits for Renjun to return. It’s pure chance that he sees the flash of movement out of the corner of his eye – something orange – and he gets to his feet, curious.

“Aha!” Jeno calls when he spots the orange cat hiding in the bushes. “Found you. What are you doing out here, hm?”

Jeno crouches down and holds out his hand. The cat approaches gingerly, but it is soon all over him as Jeno rubs at its back. “Cute.”

When his nose starts to itch Jeno rises to his feet. “I’m sorry.” Jeno tells the cat. “If I stay too long, I’ll start sneezing and my friend’s probably wondering where I got to.”

Jeno turns back to walk to the house, pulling out his phone to check if Renjun had text him, when he hears the noise – a muffled cry coming from further down the garden. Jeno frowns. There is another cry, louder this time, and chills run down Jeno’s spine. He’s moving before he can doubt himself, heading further down the garden and creeping around one of the trees until he spots three figures – two girls, one holding the other tightly in her grip, whilst a third girl holds the middle girl’s head steady, leaning in with an open mouth.

Jeno hesitates. There’s no time for him to come up with a coherent plan and the fear in the girl’s eyes strikes deep in his stomach. Jeno reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small vial of holy water he had been carrying with him everywhere for the past two weeks.

“Hey!” Jeno shouts.

The girl closet to him, the one who was ready to bite the girl’s neck, spins on her heel and hisses. Jeno sees the fangs straight away and this time there is no hesitation – he uncaps the vial and splashes it in her direction.

The vampire screams when the water hits her, loud in the quiet of the garden but not loud enough to be heard over the din of the noise in the house. Jeno doesn’t know whether to be thankful or frustrated – less people meant less possible victims, but it also meant he was all alone in this. Jeno rushes forward to spray the other vampire too and she lets go of the poor girl caught up in all of this, clutching her face.

Now free, the girl rushes towards Jeno and hides behind him. “What’s your name?” Jeno asks.

“Chaewon.” She shivers.

Jeno quickly tugs off his denim jacket and hands it over to her. “Have you got some friends you can go to?” He asks. When Chaewon nods, Jeno says, “Go back into the house and find them. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Chaewon runs off. Jeno turns back to the vampires, both of them seemingly recovered from the damage the holy water had done. Yeeun had said it wouldn’t kill – that it would give him the chance to get away. Jeno had a feeling he had missed that window of opportunity.

They looked pissed. For some reason, Jeno remembers how Donghyuck wouldn’t stop singing the Ghostbuster’s theme song after they’d watched the film together during one of their movie nights. _Who you gonna call?_ With one hand Jeno reaches up and snaps a branch off a tree, and with the other he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, dialling Yeeun’s number.

She picks up almost instantly. “Hello?”

“It’s Jeno. From the alley a few weeks ago? I don’t suppose you’re free right, now are you? I’m at a house party and I have two very angry vampires trying to tear me to shreds.”

“Who’s house?” Yeeun asks. Jeno can hear the sound of drawers opening and slamming shut in the background.

Jeno wracks his brain. “Lucas Wong’s. Big house on Crescent Drive.”

“I’ll be there in five.” Yeeun tells him. “If you think you can hold them off until then, try to. If you don’t, leave. Don’t risk getting yourself killed.”

“Got it.” Jeno answers, and Yeeun hangs up.

The vial of holy water is mostly empty, just a few dribbles left at the bottom. He shakes it out onto the tree branch. How did stakes work? Did they have to be carved from special, enchanted wood or would a regular tree branch do? Jeno didn’t have much choice, so he hoped it would be enough.

The vampires seem to be watching him, waiting. Jeno knows that if he tries to run back into the house, they’ll have his neck. There is no getting away from this, not on his own.

“Nice night huh?” Jeno’s nerves get the better of him.

“Would have been nicer if you hadn’t ruined our meal.” One of the vampire’s hisses.

Jeno takes a step back. “I’m not sorry.” He says. The more he talks, the more he stalls. Jeno wishes one of his friends were here. They could talk for an eternity. “What are you doing here anyway? You don’t belong here.”

“Says who?” The other vampire asks. “You won’t stop us human. The only way this will end is with your blood running through our veins.”

“Great.” Jeno says. “Definitely how I wanted this night to go.”

One of the vampires has apparently had enough of his mediocre diversion tactics. She lunges towards him and in that moment, Jeno thanks the years of sports he had done in high school for his quick reflexes. Jeno punches his arm out, branch gripped tightly between his fingers, and drives it forward with enough force that it pushes through the centre of her chest.

The vampire’s eyes go wide at the same time Jeno’s do and she falls limp and drops to the ground, branch sticking out of her chest. Jeno opens and clenches his fist.

“You!” The other vampire yells.

She takes a step forward but doesn’t get any further. In a split second there is a silver bolt sticking out of her chest and Jeno looks over his shoulder just in time to see Yeeun reload her crossbow and shoot again. She’s in her pyjamas, hair pulled into a messy bun and fluffy slippers on her feet, and yet Jeno has never seen someone look both so radiant and terrifying.

“Are you alright?” Yeeun asks, running forward.

“Fine.” Jeno wheezes. His chest feels tight.

“You’re not injured, are you?” Yeeun looks at him concerned. She lifts his arms in the air, checking for wounds.

“No, no, I’m fine. There’s a girl inside though, she’s probably not doing to good. Her names Chaewon.”

Yeeun looks over her shoulder. “Did you get that Tingyan?”

Another girl steps out of the darkness. Her pyjamas match Yeeun’s, a mint green set to Yeeun’s navy blue. She nods at Yeeun before jogging across the garden towards the house.

“Think you can help me get this pair into my car?” Yeeun asks.

Jeno just nods.

The added people makes carrying the bodies a lot more difficult than it had been the first time. Yeeun ends up grabbing a blanket from her car and covering them up as they walk, pretending that they were just drunk friends she was taking home. Jeno helps her squeeze them both into the backseat – the tarp had been laid down this time – and they stand by Yeeun’s car as they wait for Tingyan to return.

Jeno suddenly feels lightheaded and he stumbles. Yeeun is at his side instantly, grabbing onto his arm with surprising strength to stabilise him. She sits him down on the curb and kneels in front of him.

“You’re going to ruin your pyjamas.” Jeno says shakily.

“That’s literally the least of my worries right now.” Yeeun tells him. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’ll be fine.” Jeno says. “Just give me a minute.”

Jeno focuses on his breathing until his heart stops feeling like it is about to beat out of his chest. Yeeun’s still looking at him with concern so he stares down at his battered Converse instead.

“You got here really fast.” Jeno says. “It’s a good job. I don’t think I would have lasted much longer.”

“I floored it. Probably committed a few traffic violations on the way.” Yeeun admits. It gets a laugh out of Jeno and she looks relieved.

Tingyan comes out of the house then. “Chaewon Park.” She says. “She’s meeting us for coffee tomorrow afternoon on campus. Oh, and she asked me to give you this.” Tingyan hands Jeno back his jacket.

“Perfect. Thank you.” Yeeun says. She turns to Jeno. “And thank _you_. It really sucks that we had to meet like this again, but you did a really good job. Things could have ended up a lot worse.”

“Yeah, they could have.” Jeno replies.

“Let’s not think about that.” Yeeun squeezes his forearm gently. “Is there someone inside you can go to?” She asks softly.

Jeno nods. Renjun would be mad he bailed earlier, but he’d definitely come home with Jeno if he asked him.

“Stay safe Jeno, ok?” Yeeun says.

Jeno watches Yeeun and Tingyan climb into the car and drive off. He pulls out his phone when they’re out of sight and texts the house chat. A few minutes later Renjun stumbles out of the front door. He nudges Jeno’s thigh with his foot. “You disappeared!” He begins, but he stops in his tracks when he sees whatever sorry expression Jeno has on his face. “Are you ok?”

“I’m ready to go home.” Jeno tells him.

“Alright.” Renjun says, helping Jeno to his feet. “Let’s go home.”

🌕 🌕 🌕

“Dude, are you ok?” Mark asks, breaking Jeno out of his trance.

They are getting lunch. Now that Mark is officially Donghyuck’s boyfriend (again), he has been getting invites to their daily get togethers (again). Donghyuck and Jaemin are both late and Renjun has other plans, so it is just the two of them. Jeno hadn’t even realised he had started to zone out. One minute Mark was talking about orchestra, the next Jeno thinking about running down a dark alley, painfully aware of the person on his tail.

“Sorry. What were you saying?” Jeno asks.

Mark looks at him concerned. “I was talking about that acoustic night at the bar on campus. Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been really spacey lately. Donghyuck mentioned it too.”

Jeno winces. It had been two days since the events of Lucas’ house party. Jeno was definitely _not_ ok. It was even worse than the first vampire encounter. He was on edge all the time. Every person walking behind him down the street, everyone who sent a weird look his way, he is convinced they were all out to get him. He has started sleeping with the light on, too afraid of what might be lingering in the shadows.

Jeno wants to talk about it but he can’t tell his friends. No-one would believe him, not without proof and Jeno planned to stay away from any vampires for as long as he possibly could. How would you even prove vampires were real anyway without getting up close and personal? There was Yeeun but she had a lot on her own plate. No, Jeno would get through this. He was determined. “I’m fine. Just work and uni, you know?”

“Ok. If there _was_ something wrong, you know you could tell me, right?” Mark says.

Mark has a heart of gold. It’s one of the things that makes him one of Jeno’s favourite people (making it exceptionally hard when he and Donghyuck are in the off-again phase of their relationship).

“I know.” Jeno says. “Text me the details for the acoustic night, alright? I’ll make sure I’m not at work that evening.”

The change in conversation is clear, and Mark drops the issue, nodding. “Great. Oh – there’s Hyuckie and Jaemin.”

His friends are an even greater distraction. Jeno makes it through the rest of lunch without issue. He would get around to dealing with the noise in his head another time.

Said time comes sooner than Jeno expects.

Later that evening, Jeno’s at work. _Dreams_ is popular with the students for its Instagram-able interior: fairy lights decorate the walls; the seating is made up of comfy booths and the drinks are bright and colourful. It’s not Jeno’s first part time job, but it’s definitely his best. It’s run by Baekhyun Byun, who is a pretty chill boss, and most of the other staff are students too. Doyoung is Jeno’s work dad – he took Jeno under his wing instantly, showing him the behind the bar ropes and gossiping with him (too much probably) about the various patrons that visit the bar. 

Doyoung is on his break and Baekhyun is talking to some regulars at their table. Jeno is manning the bar alone whilst there is a quiet lull. He is wiping down the work surface when someone approaches the bar.

“Well, this is a nice surprise.”

Jeno jumps slightly and looks up to see Yeeun stood across from him, smiling brightly. She looks good – dressed up like the first night they had met. Tonight, she is in a black dress and there is a golden shimmer across her eyelids and cheeks. “Hey.” Jeno says. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting cocktails. What else would I be doing?” Yeeun laughs. She gestures in the direction of a group of girls huddled around a table studying the drinks menu. Jeno recognises Tingyan. “I’m with a few friends. Even a Slayer needs to take a night off every once in a while.”

“Want me to get you something? Or are you waiting for your friends to order?” Jeno asks.

Yeeun rests her elbows on the bar. “What do you recommend?”

“Hm… Electric Kiss is good.” Jeno sets a menu down in front of Yeeun and points at a lemon-yellow cocktail. “It’s a little heavier on the alcohol than some of the others though, so if you’re looking for something sweeter then I would recommend Oasis.”

“I’ll take an Oasis.” Yeeun points at the teal coloured cocktail. “Thanks, Jeno.”

If there was one thing Jeno enjoyed about working at _Dreams_ , it was that Baekhyun encouraged them to be as dramatic as they had to be to keep people interested. Jeno pulls out all the stops, tossing the equipment in the air just because he can, and Yeeun claps, impressed, when he sets the drink down on the bar in front of her.

“This one is on me.” Jeno tells Yeeun as she pulls out her purse.

“What? Jeno no –”

“Think of it as payback for saving my neck on multiple occasions.” Jeno says.

Yeeun sighs and pulls the drink towards her, cupping the glass in her hands. “Ok.” She says. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Jeno says.

“I should probably get back to my friends.” She glances over her shoulder towards the group and Jeno follows her gaze to see the group watching them. They all turn away and burst into laughter when Jeno looks over and he scrunches his nose, embarrassed. “See you later.” Yeeun says.

As soon as Yeeun is out of earshot, both Doyoung and Baekhyun slide up to him. Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows and Jeno rolls his eyes, throwing a cloth at him.

“Who was that?” Doyoung asks.

“She’s…” Jeno hesitates. Were they friends? They were probably closer to acquaintances. “She’s a friend.”

“A friend.” Doyoung repeats, an eyebrow raised.

Baekhyun pats Jeno’s shoulder. “Friend or more, you impressed _me_ with those fancy twists.” Baekhyun says. “Keep up the good work.”

The night goes on. Jeno serves dozens or people, some nicer than others. He witnesses a guy try to serenade Doyoung and gets tipped extra by Baekhyun’s friends when they stop by. Yeeun and her group flit to and from the bar, and Jeno is painfully aware of the fact her friends are trying and failing to subtly grill Jeno on the relationship between them.

It’s almost closing when Yeeun’s group gets up to leave. Jeno watches as she waves them all outside and walks over to Jeno. “I’m heading home.” She says. “Are you finishing soon?”

“Yeah, only another half hour.” Jeno glances at his watch. “I’m ready for bed.”

“I’ll bet. Me too.” She leans closer, glancing around. “Any more unwanted visitors?”

“If there have been, they haven’t made themselves known.” Jeno tells her. A wave of anxiety settles in the pit of his stomach.

“That’s good.” Yeeun says. “Are you still walking home?”

Jeno shakes his head. “Doyoung is dropping me off.” Jeno gestures to his co-worker. He had made up some story about an attempted mugging that had sent both Baekhyun and Doyoung into a tizzy and they had banned him from walking home on his own. They were taking it turns to drop him home now. Jeno was eternally grateful.

“Good.” Yeeun nods. She looks like she’s about to say something else when her friends call her, letting her know their taxi has arrived. She sighs. “Look after yourself, ok Jeno? I’ll see you around.”

Jeno nods. Yeeun smiles at him before turning on her heel and leaving.

Jeno makes it home in one piece. He is under his bed covers when he checks his phone and sees a message from Yeeun.

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:13]** hey jeno… I was thinking about earlier and the party the other day and I feel really bad for leaving when you weren’t ok

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:14]** i was talking to Tingyan and she reminded me that you’ve been thrown in the deep end here… three vampire encounters in a really short period of time and I haven’t really checked in to see if you’re Really ok

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:14]** if there is anything at all I can do, let me know, ok?

Jeno stares at his screen and hesitates before responding.

**[03:34]** I’m not really sure what you could do

**[03:34]** I’ve been really paranoid. Constantly thinking there might be a vampire at work or in one of my classes, but there’s nothing you can do to fix that

**[03:35]** I guess I’m struggling because I don’t know how to tell my friends because why would they believe me?

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:36]** you can talk to me

**[03:36]** aren’t you kind of busy saving the city from vampires? Lol

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:36]** I will make time for you jeno

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:37]** if there is anyone who understands what you are going through it is me

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:37]** what will help ease your anxiety?

**[03:38]** have you got time to answer 101 questions about vampires?

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:38]** yes

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:38]** are you free tomorrow afternoon?

**[03:39]** after 3pm yeah

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:39]** do you still have my business card? It has my address on it

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:39]** you can come over and I’ll tell you everything I know about vampires and we can have tea or coffee or hot chocolate. my housemate yein has an excellent biscuit collection too. She won’t mind if we steal some for emotional support purposes

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:39]** sound good?

**[03:40]** emotional support biscuits

**[03:40]** yeak ok

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:40]** **🥳🥳**

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **03:41]** goodnight jeno I’ll see you tomorrow

The tendrils tangled together in the pit of Jeno’s stomach unfurl just a sliver.

🌕 🌕 🌕

Jeno stands outside Yeeun’s house, his phone in his hand. He’s at the right place – he’d double and triple checked the address on the way over – but he is reluctant to press the doorbell. He gives it a few more minutes before he shoves his phone in his pocket with a sigh and takes the leap.

Jeno can hear the faint sound of footsteps hurrying across the floor from the other side of the door. It opens and Yeeun grins at him, ushering him through into the house. “Come in, come in.” She says.

Jeno slips off his shoes in the hallway. When he looks up, Yeeun claps her hands together. “Welcome to the Sanctuary.”

Inside is a sight to behold. To a stranger on the street, the copious amounts of silver decorating every surface – an ornate candlewick, necklaces and ornately decorated knives just to name a few – wouldn’t make any sense. There was a shelving unit in the hallway with each draw labelled ‘stakes’ and ‘holy water’. There was no doubt that this was the house of a Slayer. Yeeun definitely didn’t have guests over often.

Yeeun leads Jeno through to the living room. It is cosy – the pink patterned cushions offset the several crossbows hanging up on the walls nicely. Jeno takes a seat on the sofa and Yeeun settles into an armchair opposite him.

“So.” She claps her hands together again. “I was thinking we could start with a general history. Ye ancient vampires, how the slayers came to be, debunking common myths. We can gloss over more recent events if that’s going to be too anxiety inducing. I find its always a bit easier to start in the past. We’re so far detached from it that it is easier to process.”

“Whatever you think is best.” Jeno says.

Yeeun gets to her feet and walks over to the bookshelf lining the wall behind him. It’s full – some spines look like they’re falling apart, others are newer. Yeeun trails her fingers over them until she finds what she is looking for, a giant tome that she has to carry over to the coffee table with both hands. It thuds against the wood when she sets it down.

“This is the Slayer’s Compendium.” Yeeun says. “It goes back to the very beginning of our timeline. The first chunk is all illustrations, but it’s relatively easy to get the general gist of what is being said.” She heaves open the book.

“So, the First Slayer was created when a group of mages infused her soul with that of a demon. It gave her improved abilities like speed and strength, which she then used to do their bidding. It wasn’t an equal partnership. They were really shitty and used her to further their own agenda.” Yeeun traces over the ink on the yellowed pages. Jeno takes in the diagrams – a sketch of a devil, a series of arcane symbols. “At the time, they didn’t know that when she died, the power she gained would pass on to someone else. To this day no-one can explain why it happens, but it means that being a Slayer transcends geography and time. We have confirmed Slayers from Han China, Ancient Greece, the Ottoman Empire, Goryeo… honestly, the list is endless.”

“That’s a lot of history.” Jeno says.

“Yeah. I’ll do my best to condense it into the highlights.” Yeeun smiles. “Alongside Slayers, we also have Watchers. They are descended from the original mages and its their job to scout for potential Slayers and to help Slayers when they are active. Tingyan and my other housemate Yein are both descended from Watchers.” Yeeun explains. “Because Slayers can lead such risky lives, it is the Watchers who hold onto artefacts like the Compendium to pass them on to the next generation.”

“So, vampires have been around since the beginning of time?” Jeno asks. “And… demons?”

“Pretty much. Vampires are part demon, part human.” Yeeun grimaces. “I don’t think this will be help ease your anxiety about this all but there is a lot more than just vampires out there.”

“Do I want to know?”

Yeeun pulls a face. “I’ll tell you another time.”

“How do you deal with knowing all these monsters are out there?” Jeno asks.

“It feels like a cop out to say I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s the truth.” Yeeun says. “I’ve been in contact with the Watchers since I was a baby, so I’ve known for almost my whole life that this is what I was destined to do. It has always been normal to me.”

“I guess it’s the new normal for me now.” Jeno says.

“You don’t have to go through it alone.” Yeeun tells him. “I know you said you don’t want to tell your friends, so I was thinking that maybe I could introduce you to some people. Others who were caught in a similar situation to you. They’ll get exactly where you’re coming from, even better than I will.”

“I would like that.” Jeno says.

“I just realised I never offered you a drink.” Yeeun slaps a hand to her forehead. “Do you want tea? Or coffee? Or hot chocolate – I mentioned that too didn’t I?”

“I’ll have tea please.” Jeno says.

“Ok. Let’s have a tea break and then we can get back to business.” 

Jeno ends up staying at Yeeun’s for much longer than he anticipates. He and Yeeun spend a good hour debunking all the vampire myths that have seeped into popular culture (vampire’s have the ability to heal themselves which is why their bodies need to be burnt after they are staked, the sun just made them uncomfortable and garlic was a good vampire deterrent so Jeno adds it to his shopping list). Yein and Tingyan arrive home at some point and talk to Jeno about their upbringings with the Watchers and about how when they’re not studying or working, they spend their free time plotting supernatural movement on the giant whiteboard in their spare room (Jeno catches a glimpse when he goes to the toilet but immediately turns away when he reads the word _zombies_. Oh boy).

By the time he checks his phone it is already after eight and Jeno realises he had been at Yeeun’s for five whole hours. There are several unread messages from his friends asking whether he’ll be back in time for dinner. “I better get going,” he says, setting down his third cup of tea on the coffee table.

Yeeun jumps to her feet. “I’ll drop you home.”

“You don’t have to.” Jeno says. It’s at that moment the memory of the whiteboard upstairs comes back to him and a shiver runs down his spine. “Actually…”

Yeeun laughs and slips into her shoes. “I would have dropped you home anyway.”

They chatter all the way back to Jeno’s, the atmosphere in the car startlingly different to the last time he had been sat in the passenger seat. Yeeun parks outside of the house and smiles. “Déjà vu, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jeno undoes his seatbelt. He sits in the car for a moment. The past few hours had been both incredibly informative and the weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Sure.” Yeeun’s smile grows. “I’ll text you. See you later Jeno.”

Jeno steps into the house feeling lighter. He drops his bag in his room and changes into something comfier before heading into the kitchen. Jaemin is already in there, leaning over a pot of ramen on the stove. He looks up with a smile when Jeno enters. “How was your afternoon?”

“Good. Was just hanging out with a friend.” Jeno says as he rifles through the fridge. His shelf looks abysmally empty but thanks to top chef Donghyuck Lee there are some leftovers he can reheat.

“Did they drop you back? I thought I heard a car.” Jaemin asks.

“Yeah she did.” Jeno responds.

Jaemin hums. “Damn. Need to get myself a friend who can drive. We’re all useless in this house.”

Jeno laughs.

“You should invite your friend to hang out with us sometime.” Jaemin says. There is an underlying question in his tone – _who is this mystery girl?_ – but Jeno ignores it.

“So, you can use her for free rides?” Jeno snorts. “I don’t think so.”

Jaemin holds a hand to his chest. “You wound me. Seriously though. It would be nice to meet her. Think about it.”

“Maybe one day.” Jeno says.

🌕 🌕 🌕

Jeno had put off going to the gym. It was hard to balance sometimes on top of uni, work and socialising so it slipped down his priority list to somewhere below food and sleep. He tried his hardest to keep on top of his fitness – early morning runs, lifting the mini kettlebells he had gotten as a gift from the house for Christmas in first year, walking or skateboarding to uni – but nothing could have prepared him for the intensity of the workout Yeeun’s personal trainer Hyuna – a fellow almost vampire victim – was putting him through.

Jeno goes at it full throttle at first, breezing through the weights and the ropes without issue. The burn feels good, and Jeno is reminded why he enjoys working out – it is a good way to take your mind off things. Three quarters of the way through the session he starts to flag. Yeeun is lunging happily around the room whilst Jeno trails behind her, getting slower and slower. When Hyuna tells them it is time to move onto sit ups, Jeno feels like he could cry.

“Come on Jeno!” Hyuna calls from across the room when Jeno falters. He had made it through the first ten without issue, the next ten with a little difficulty and the final ten with gritted teeth. “Only twenty more to go.”

He lies back on the mat and pants to catch his breath. “Two minutes.” He responds.

Yeeun shuffles across the mat to sit by his feet. “I’ll spot you.” She says, her expression a mix of pity and amusement. Fifty sit ups and she had barely even broken a sweat. Jeno was majorly impressed. “She’s not going to let up until you’re done.”

“I’ve made a mistake.” Jeno huffs as he completes his next sit up. Nineteen painful more to get through. “Next time I’ll just do my own thing. Do you really do this every week?”

“Once a week, sometimes twice if I make the time.” Yeeun says. “It’s a killer, I’ll give you that, but it definitely works.”

“I think I’m going to need to lie down for a week after this.” Fifteen to go. “I’m not as fit as I thought I was.”

Yeeun giggles.

When he’s done, Hyuna pats him on the back and hands him a bottle of water, his own completely drained. He gulps it down in seconds and lies back on the mat to try and recalibrate his body whilst Yeeun works around him.

“You worked very hard.” Hyuna tells him at the end. “Stop by any time.”

“I feel like jelly.” Jeno tells Yeeun as they make their way back to the locker rooms.

Yeeun laughs. “Come on. I’ll buy you lunch to make up for not preparing you for what you were about to face in there.”

Yeeun keeps her word. After they’d both showered, she drives them to a little bistro nearby and they sit for ages and just talk. With Jeno’s worries slowly fading to the background, the conversation focuses on normal topics, the stuff they would share if they were just every day people living in a world free of the supernatural. Jeno tells Yeeun about his friends, his cats at home and his addiction to games. Yeeun tells him about her interest in languages and cooking. Jeno heads home feeling exceptionally good about himself (aside from the ache in his muscles) and they make plans to meet up again.

And they do – two days later Yeeun invites Jeno round for dinner. Yein opens up a bottle of wine that is older than Jeno and they get lightly buzzed whilst Yeeun makes them dinner and then spend the rest of the evening watching B-grade horror and listing the inaccuracies.

They go back to Hyuna’s gym again and Jeno learns from his mistakes and instead with Hyuna’s help crafts a more basic work out plan to get him back into exercising. Yeeun comes to visit him at work after a night of patrolling. She hits it off with Baekhyun and Doyoung and stays long enough to drive him home at the end of the night. They text almost every day about anything and everything. Jeno had almost convinced himself at first that their relationship could only be based around the supernatural but that was decidedly not the case and he was glad for it. He liked Yeeun a lot. She was fun to spend time with, she was interested in Jeno and she cares about his wellbeing. In the space of a month, Yeeun had become an integral part of Jeno’s life.

Jeno liked Yeeun a lot. He felt good when they were together.

He’s in the middle of making dinner when it hits him – Yeeun’s _good luck on finishing your essay_ 💪💪 text almost makes him drop his phone into the frying pan.

“You good?” Renjun asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He replies to Yeeun’s text with a _thanks_ 😊😊, and sets his phone down on the counter.

He really does like Yeeun a lot. A little too much maybe.

🌕 🌕 🌕

“Jeno, my dude, my brother.” Mark pulls Jeno into a hug and laughs.

“How are you so drunk already?” Jeno asks him.

“I’m not drunk.” Mark retorts, but the stench of alcohol on his breath says otherwise. He pulls away and latches onto Donghyuck.

“Lightweight.” Jaemin mutters at Jeno’s shoulder.

Tonight’s party is being hosted by Jungwoo, one of Mark’s friends that had inevitably been introduced to the group because wherever Mark went, Donghyuck followed and wherever Donghyuck went the rest of them weren’t far behind. Jungwoo hugs them all when he sees them and lets Jeno steal some of the “good stuff” hidden inside an empty cereal box. It’s rum and it’s _strong_ but Jeno isn’t one to turn down a free drink from a friend and for the first time in a while he is actually excited to get drunk.

He is in the middle of watching Donghyuck try to convince Mark that body shots are a good idea when he hears someone call his name. He turns to see Yeeun waving at him from across the kitchen.

“Hey.” Jeno says when she makes her way through the crowd to stand at his side. “I didn’t think I was going to see you here.”

“I could say the same thing to you.” Yeeun laughs. She looks as radiant as ever tonight, dressed in a matching plaid top and skirt. “I’ve got a few mutual friends with Jungwoo.”

Jeno turns to gesture to where his friends are stood just in time to see Donghyuck spill his drink down Renjun’s shirt. Renjun’s hands go straight for Donghyuck’s neck and Jaemin watches on, unphased whilst Mark drunkenly attempts to mop up the mess with a napkin. Jaemin notices him looking over and raises an eyebrow, pushing past the others to throw an arm over Jeno’s shoulder.

“This is Jaemin.” Jeno says. “Jaemin, this is Yeeun. The others are Renjun, Donghyuck and Mark.” He points at each of them in turn. Renjun, having decided that strangling Donghyuck is apparently not worth his time, looks over and waves.

“Ah, the infamous Yeeun. It’s nice to finally meet you. I would say I’ve heard nothing but good things, but I haven’t actually heard much at all. Jeno’s been keeping you all to himself.” Jaemin says. Jeno elbows him in the side but Jaemin soldiers on. “How do you know our lovely Jeno? I don’t think he ever said.”

“Through the gym.” Yeeun says, throwing a quick glance at Jeno. They’d established a cover story for the non-aware in their lives a while back but Jeno hadn’t ever brought it up with his friends. He hadn’t really unpacked why he was so desperate to keep Yeeun all to himself, but things had started to fall into place. “We signed up for the same taekwondo taster. I was actually coming over to ask if you wanted to come and play beer pong. My housemate Yein refuses to be on a team with me.”

“Why?” Jaemin asks.

“Because I have an uncanny knack for managing to get the ball into the cups.” Yeeun says. Jeno lets out a quiet laugh. Of course, she would. “Yein says it is no fun sitting back whilst I take all the glory.”

“Well, lets see if you’re as good as the resident beer pong champion in our house… me. You and Jeno versus me and…” Jaemin looks around. “Renjun! Play beer pong with me!”

Jaemin lives to eat his words. Yeeun lets him get a few shots in before she completely thrashes them. Jeno can only stand back and watch as Jaemin and Renjun have to shot back cup after cup of alcohol. Yein stands at Jeno’s shoulder, arms crossed with an exasperated look on her face. “Do you see why I said I wouldn’t play now?”

Unsurprisingly, Yeeun and Jeno win. Jeno stands back and lets Yeeun take her deserved glory. Their opponents aren’t faring too well – Jaemin is completely wasted now, talking loudly with strangers whilst Renjun stumbles over to a sofa and lies down with his eyes closed.

“You ok buddy?” Jeno asks.

Renjun hums. His eyes remain closed, but he lifts a hand and waves it at Jeno, shooing him away. “Go have fun. I’m just going to lie here for a while.”

“Call me if you need me.” Jeno tells him, and Renjun gives him a thumbs up in response.

Jeno follows Yeeun into the kitchen. The rest of her friends are there – some Jeno recognises from that night at _Dreams_.

“So, _this_ is Jeno.” Yaebin leans over the kitchen counter with a gleam in her eyes that made Jeno a little bit nervous. “You’re right, Yeeun, he is cute.”

“Leave them alone, Yaebin.” Eunwoo pinches Yaebin’s forearm. “It’s nice to meet you properly Jeno. Maybe next time we’re at _Dreams_ you can hook us up with free drinks too?”

“Alright, we’re leaving.” Yeeun grabs Jeno by the arm and pulls him away from her friends. There is a flush on her cheeks – a mix of the alcohol and embarrassment. She grabs a bottle of wine off the counter and turns to glare at them. “You’re both as bad as each other.”

“I resent that!” Eunwoo shouts after them.

They end up in the garden. It’s a little breezy, but that has never stopped anyone from having a good time. There are a few people smoking at the end of the garden, so Yeeun leads him to a wooden garden bench tucked away in the corner. When they sit their knees are touching, Yeeun’s bare skin pressed against Jeno’s jeans.

“I’m sorry about them in there.” Yeeun says. She holds her face between her hands and laughs. “They just like to embarrass me.”

“All friends are the same.” Jeno says. “If Donghyuck hadn’t pregamed so hard he would have done exactly the same when you came over.”

Yeeun wrinkles her nose. She shivers a little, her outfit doing nothing to protect her from the chill in the air.

“If you’re cold we can head back inside.” Jeno says.

Yeeun shakes her head. “It’s so busy in there I can barely hear myself think let alone hold a conversation.”

Jeno shrugs off his bomber jacket and passes it over to her. Yeeun goes to protest, but Jeno pushes it into her hands. “I’m not going to let you freeze to death.”

“My hero.” Yeeun pulls on the jacket and throws up a peace sign. “How do I look?” 

“Great, as always.”

Yeeun slaps Jeno’s thigh lightly and laughs. “Thanks.”

Yeeun opens the wine and they pass the bottle back and forth between them. They finish it too quickly – Jeno can feel that tingling sensation in his body that lets him know he has successfully reached tipsy. Yeeun rests her head on Jeno’s shoulder and walks her fingers up and down his arm as they talk. It tickles and he keeps shuffling under her touch which just makes her giggle harder.

“I never go out drinking like this anymore.” Yeeun admits. “If I’m drunk, I’m vulnerable and I can’t do my job properly. It took days of pestering from my friends to get me to agree to come tonight.”

“Well I’m glad you did. It’s like you said before, you deserve a night off every once in a while.” Jeno tells her. “This party has been a lot more fun with you here.”

Yeeun’s eyes seem to twinkle as she smiles at him, and then she buries her face in his arm.

They fall into a comfortable silence. The smokers have gone inside so it is just them now. Jeno looks out into the dark – he doesn’t feel on edge, not anymore. Not with Yeeun by his side.

It is like she can read his mind because at that moment, Yeeun reaches out to take Jeno’s hand into her own, squeezing gently.

“This is nice.” She says after a while. Jeno looks up to meet her eyes and she smiles, eyes soft. “Jeno, I –”

She is interrupted by the sound of the back door swinging open and Jeno’s name being called. Jungwoo winces when he sees them sat together. “Sorry to interrupt, but Renjun’s thrown up and he’s asking for you.”

Jeno closes his eyes and sighs.

“That’s probably my fault.” Yeeun looks apologetic. “I should have taken it easy during beer pong.”

“The damage is done now.” Jeno shrugs. He stands, his hand slipping from between her own. He should go inside, make sure Renjun is alright, but part of him just wants to stay rooted where he is, in the garden with Yeeun, in the little bubble of _them_.

“Go.” Yeeun smiles at him. “Your friend needs you. I’ll see you later.”

When Jeno gets to the bathroom, Renjun has his entire head in the toilet. Jaemin is on one side, being aggressively encouraging whilst he rubs Renjun’s back, and Donghyuck is on the other side, laughing and recording the whole scene on his phone. He grins when he spots Jeno and turns the camera on him.

“Jeno! Say hello!”

“Hi.” Jeno drops to his knees and pushes Renjun’s hair out of his face. “How are you feeling, Renjun?”

“Terrible.” Renjun complains. “Where did you go?”

“I was in the garden with Yeeun.” Jeno says.

“Oh, were you now?” Donghyuck’s attention switches from Renjun to Jeno in a split second. He has reached the stage of drunk where he is even more brazen than he is whilst sober. “And what exactly were you doing in the garden, Mr Lee?”

“Just talking.” Jeno says. Donghyuck narrows his eyes. Jeno ignores him, instead helping Renjun sit up. “Do you feel like you’re going to throw up again?”

“Probably.” Renjun leans into Jeno’s chest. “I feel like I’m dying.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Donghyuck scolds.

“You’re going to feel even worse tomorrow morning.” Jaemin cheerfully reminds him.

“Fuck. Tell Yeeun she’s ruined my life.” Renjun lurches forward and leans over the toilet bowl.

Jeno grimaces. It was going to be a long night.

Getting Renjun home is a struggle, especially with two drunk housemates and one drunk honorary housemate to look after. On top of that, Jeno wasn’t quite sober either. Renjun passes out on Jeno’s shoulder in their Uber, whilst Jaemin and Donghyuck start singing and Mark tries to engage in a random conversation with their driver. Jeno makes sure to apologise and tip him well when they are all out the car. When Renjun is safely in bed (stripped to his boxers, a mixing bowl on the floor beside him just in case) and when the others have tired themselves out enough to let Jeno usher them into their rooms, Jeno climbs into his own bed and lies back on the covers with a sigh.

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **01:34]** Jungwoo said you went home?? Tell Renjun I’m really sorry 😭😭

**[01:56]** I will in the morning but I’m not sure he will forgive you lol

**[01:56]** he is a mess

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **01:58]** nooooooo 😭😭

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **01:58]** tonight was really fun

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **01:59]** we should do it again sometime

**[02:00]** yeah we should

**[02:00]** I’m going to go to bed. The room is spinning just a teeny tiny bit

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **02:00]** 🤣🤣

**[** **Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **02:00]** sweet dreams jeno

🌕 🌕 🌕

Jeno’s lying on the sofa when the text from Yeeun comes through. They hadn’t seen each other week and were trying to make plans but Yeeun’s schedule was packed to the brim with meetings and late-night patrols.

“What does it mean if someone asks if you want to get Dinner dinner?” Jeno asks.

Jaemin looks away from the TV with a frown. “Dinner dinner?”

Jeno hesitates for a moment before showing Jaemin the text Yeeun had sent him.

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **17:54]** anyway I was thinking and I wondered if you wanted to grab dinner sometime this week?

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **17:54]** not dinner at my place but like Dinner dinner

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **17:55]** at a restaurant. If I didn’t make that clear enough

Jaemin hands Jeno his phone back and claps Jeno on the shoulder. “You my friend have just been asked on a date.”

“She didn’t say it was a date.” Jeno responds. His stomach is all over the place, butterflies swirling around just waiting to burst out.

“Put it into perspective: you, after much prying, told us you were holding hands at Jungwoo’s party. You like her, you’ve been talking for a while _and_ you’ve spent a lot of one on one time together…” Jaemin raises an eyebrow. “It’s a date.”

Jeno looks down at his phone. “A date.”

Jaemin turns back to the TV, picking up the remote and changing the channel. “She’s probably waiting for you to respond, you know. Don’t keep her waiting.”

**[18:04]** Dinner dinner sounds good

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **18:04]** great

**Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️, **18:04]** 😊😊

Yeeun picks him up. Jeno feels like a kid being sent off to school, with Renjun, Jaemin, Donghyuck and even Mark ushering him out the door after spending two hours picking through everything in his wardrobe to make sure he didn’t “embarrass himself” (Donghyuck’s words). He’d ended up in a printed shirt (which caused Donghyuck and Jaemin argued about for twenty minutes about how many buttons were acceptable to leave unbuttoned – they settled on two) and a pair of skinny black jeans (“to emphasise your legs” Jaemin had said, to which Mark added, “yeah dude, you have great legs”).

Jeno can feel their eyes on him from the window as he walks down to Yeeun’s car. He jumps inside. “Please drive.” He says weakly.

Yeeun laughs and waves up to the house. The curtains flutter as everyone ducks down out of sight and Jeno thumps his head back on the headrest with quiet sigh.

“You look nice.” Yeeun says as she pulls away from the curb.

Jeno fiddles with the bottom of his shirt. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

She was in a floral off the shoulder dress tonight, pink eyeshadow on her lids and a shiny gloss on her lips – definitely dressed up. Another tick for the ‘this is a date’ box. Jeno had told himself he was going to hold off on saying anything until the night was over – piece together all the signs and then come to a conclusion, but his friends were right, that was a stupid idea.

“This is a date, right?” Jeno blurts out.

“I was kind of hoping it would be.” Yeeun says. “Is that ok?”

“It’s more than ok.” Jeno tells her.

Yeeun smiles with relief. “Yein told me to ask you outright but I was too nervous, so I backed out of it. I decided just to hint at it instead.” She laughs. “I’m glad we got that out of the way early.”

Yeeun had picked the restaurant – she had said Tingyan had recommended it. It was popular for its good food and the fancy seating which hung from ropes on the ceiling. It was a date hotspot. Jeno could see why.

Yeeun insists on taking photos of him in the swing seats and hearts her favourites in their chat for him to look at after. Jeno returns the favour and takes pictures of Yeeun too. She looks good in all of them as she’s effortlessly photogenic, but the one she chooses to send to her friends is the blurry selfie of the pair of them she took on the way into the restaurant.

Clarifying that they are on a date seems to set the mood – Yeeun flirts with Jeno and Jeno flirts back. Their legs are tangled together under the table before their food is even brought out and when their food does come, they end up sharing their meals anyway.

They split the bill in half after much debate – Yeeun always pays for their food whenever they spend time together purely because she was too quick for Jeno to stop her. Even now she seemed reluctant, but Jeno wins her over. “I’ll pay for everything next time,” He tells her.

Yeeun presses her lips together to try and hide her smile.

They leave the restaurant with their arms linked together. Neither of them had brought a jacket which had been an oversight on both their parts, so they hurry down the road to get back to Yeeun’s car where they can sit in the warmth. They are almost there when Yeeun stops in her tracks.

Jeno doesn’t have to ask. He sees the vampires seconds later, four of them stepping out from the shadows and blocking their path down the street. He glances at Yeeun to see her expression turn to one of irritation.

“Were you following us?” She asks.

“Yes.” One answers, to the point. “I would say we are sorry for having to bring an end to your little date but we’re really not.”

“I staked their ringleader the other week and the whole coven has been giving has been giving me trouble since.” Yeeun mutters. “I didn’t think they’d have the guts to come after me somewhere so public, but I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know.” Jeno tells her. He has holy water stashed in the pocket of his jeans. He never left the house without it now. “I don’t suppose you have a spare stake on you?”

“I always carry extra.” Her hand slides down his arm until she’s holding his hand for a brief second, squeezing it before letting go. “Catch.”

Everything happens at once – Yeeun runs forward, reaching down and tossing something back towards Jeno. He catches it – a wooden stake. The vampires move too, towards him. For a moment, Jeno is transported back to that night all that time ago when he was pressed up against the alley wall, scared for his life. He’s still scared – if there was one thing Jeno had learnt over the past month and a bit from Yeeun and her friends and from other survivors like Hyuna, it was that being scared was ok, it was natural and he may always feel this way – but this time at least, he was prepared. He’s not cornered, he’s not alone and he knows what to do.

It’s clear the vampires expect him to be idle, to run or hide whilst Yeeun does all the hard work. Jeno thinks back to what Hyuna had taught him in the gym, the moves she had incorporated into his routine that Yeeun had helped perfect. Jeno grips the stake and dodges out of the way of one of the vampires, stabbing forward with his stake. The vampire is quick and so Jeno misses, but he doesn’t stress. He can hear Yeeun conversing with one of the other vampires in low tones, but he doesn’t look over to check on her – he can’t let himself get distracted.

“Jeno duck!” Yeeun shouts.

He does as she says. The vampire that had crept up behind him stumbles as he lunges to grab the air and Jeno uses the opportunity to drill his stake into its stomach. He yanks it out and the vampire falls to the ground. Jeno’s riding on adrenaline. By some sheer miracle he stands and steps out of the way of the body (there is a little voice at the back of his head telling him maybe the vampire isn’t really dead and is waiting to grab his ankles when he’s not looking and drag him down) just in time to miss the snapping of teeth. The vampire’s close enough for Jeno to reach him so he doesn’t hesitate, staking him in the chest.

Jeno pulls it out and looks over to Yeeun who is stood with one foot on a vampire’s chest, in the middle of yanking out a silver dagger. When she sees Jeno looking at her, she lifts up the hem of her dress slightly to show him the garter strapped around her leg. “I never leave the house without it.” She says, sheaving her dagger in it. “I’ll pull up the car. You…” They both look down at the four bodies by around their feet. “Just look normal.”

Squeezing the four vampires into the car is hard. They manage to fit one in the boot and the other three are stretched out in the backseat. Yeeun complains about the state of her upholstery the whole time and Jeno can’t help but find her whining endearing. “The parallels right now are unreal.” Yeeun murmurs as they climb into the car and she starts up the engine. “To the scrapyard we go.”

As they stand beside the fire, Jeno can’t help but laugh. “Well I’m not cold anymore.”

“Me neither.” Yeeun grins. “Tonight was…definitely something.”

“It really was.” Jeno reaches out to take her hand and she tangles their fingers together.

“I’m sorry a bunch of vampires ruined our date.” Yeeun says.

“The evening was fine until they came along,” Jeno reminds her. “Besides, the night is still young. Do you want something to drink? I could use a drink after that to be honest.”

She holds up her car keys. “I’ll have something non-alcoholic.”

“I’m paying.” Jeno tells her. “Let’s get out of here.”

It’s nearing 2am by the time Yeeun finally pulls up outside of Jeno’s house. The lights are all off inside, but Jeno wouldn’t be surprised if his friends were still awake, waiting for him to come home. A quick glance at his phone earlier told him they were still blowing up the chat past midnight.

“We should do this again soon.” Jeno tells her. “Before deadline season starts creeping up on us.”

Yeeun nods. “Supernatural activity tends to pick up around winter because it gets dark earlier too. Vampire’s don’t care about festive cheer. I’ll let you know when I’m free when I get home.”

“Cool.” Jeno says. “Good.”

Yeeun laughs.

Jeno doesn’t want to get out of the car. Leaving would mean the night has come to an end and he doesn’t want it to. Despite the minor inconveniences, things had gone really well. Yeeun senses his hesitance and reaches over to place her hand on his thigh.

“We still have our gym session on Wednesday.” Yeeun reminds him. “We can get dinner afterwards if you’d like.”

“It’s a date.” Jeno says.

“It’s a date,” Yeeun repeats, and she’s smiling so wide that Jeno can’t help himself.

He leans forward and says, “Can I –”, but doesn’t get another word out before Yeeun is breathing out a “Yes,” and is kissing him. It’s soft and sweet – it’s been a while since Jeno has kissed anyone (and even longer since he had kissed anyone sober and actually thought about what he was doing) so he takes his time. It’s Yeeun who is more impatient, tugging at the collar of Jeno’s shirt to pull him closer and he has to aimlessly feel around to undo his seatbelt, so he doesn’t choke himself on the strap.

“I might just clear my schedule for tomorrow.” Yeeun tells him. “I don’t want to have to wait until Wednesday to kiss you again.”

Jeno laughs and presses his forehead to Yeeun’s, eyes closed for a second whilst he catches his breath. “Just text me. I can stop by after class.”

“Ok.” Yeeun kisses him again, lips featherlight against Jeno’s. “Please get out of my car before we spend the next hour in here kissing.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing though?” Jeno laughs.

“One of us needs to have an ounce of patience.” Yeeun tells him. “I’m taking one for the team here.”

“Ok.” Jeno pulls back and clears his throat. Yeeun busies her hands fixing her hair for a moment before she looks over at him with a smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.” Jeno agrees.

He opens the door and steps out of the car. As always, Yeeun waits until he’s unlocked the front door before she starts her car. Jeno can hear the faint sound of voices coming from behind the closed door of the living room. He turns to wave at Yeeun and she waves back. Jeno watches until her car has disappeared into the dark before he shuts the door behind him.

After relaying the events of the night to his friends three whole times (minus the vampires, of course), Jeno finally crawls into bed. He pulls out his phone and smiles.

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️❤️ **]** goodnight!!

**[Yeeun Jang** 🧛🗡️❤️ **]** see you tomorrow 😽

**Author's Note:**

> the restaurant jeno & yeeun go to is based on a real restaurant chain in the uk called [mowgli](https://www.mowglistreetfood.com/). i've never been but multiple friends have and apparently it has good date vibes!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/seothsayers)


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